Investigation into Three Segregated Schools
Very recently the Victorian Department of Education and Training decided to investigate three schools that provide a segregated education for children with disabilities. This is extraordinary, as normally schools’ mistreatment of its students is heavily protected by the Department. Those schools are:
Southern Autistic School
Jackson School
Marnebek School
Why is the Department investigating?
The Department has received multiple reports of violence, abuse and neglect in relation to these schools in the last decade. It ignored them, and ignored requests for independent investigations into Marnebek years ago. The Department also has reports and evidence of violence, abuse and neglect of children with disabilities by staff at Southern Autistic and Jackson School. It has had these reports for years, and either denied the claims immediately, or defended their right to abuse and neglect their students.
The Department is investigating now, because only because those allegations have been shared with other Victorian statutory authorities, and the Department need to look like they are doing something, despite the fact that all they have done to date is victimise and attack all of those who have reported the abuse to it.
Letters are already being sent out by schools to parents encouraging them to cooperate, and stating that staff will be cooperating.
No one should be cooperating with this investigation.
Firstly, the investigation is not independent, despite being claimed to be. The Department of Education are paying the investigator and are in charge of the investigation
It is worth going over what happened to staff, parents and advocates the last time the Department of Education organised an “independent” investigation by Justitia Lawyers into Bendigo Special Developmental School.
The Bendigo SDS investigation was overseen by Mr Christopher Thompson from the Department. He is also in charge of this investigation, which is enough reason in and of itself, to not take part. Here is what Mr Thompson oversaw.
- The Terms of Reference of the investigation were framed so that any abuse of children in the past was excused. The Terms of Reference only asked if the school was, at the time of the investigation, presenting a danger to any child. All manner of outrageous explanations and denials for the treatment of those students was provided and accepted. You may all remember the appearance by former Principal Julie Hommelhoff on national TV asserting that there were no cages in her school. Then when it was clear that there were, the explanation provided to the investigators (fully accepted by the Department of Education) was that the cages were in class rooms so if a child with epilepsy had a seizure, the blind kids wouldn’t trip over them as they would be dragged in to the cage. Only the completely ignorant accepted that explanation, being Justitia Lawyers and Minister Merlino.
- Despite promises of confidentiality to all of those who contributed, Mr Thompson gained the list of investigation informants and called them all. Many of them were staff of the school, and parents who had believed that their names would be kept confidential from the Department.
- Despite people being promised that they could contribute anonymously to the investigation, informants (those that were left)then received notification from Justitia Lawyers, that unless they agreed to reveal their names, their allegations would not go into Phase 2 of the investigation. Conveniently, numerous serious allegations that should have been investigated were then withdrawn.
The fact that the Department have allocated the same person to oversee this investigation indicates we are in for the same whitewash and breaches of confidentiality that occurred in relation to Bendigo SDS.
The Victorian Government has checks and balances to ensure that investigations of itself, are independent. They have independent statutory authorities who can undertake such Investigations. Minister Merlino and the Department of Education have decided not to allocate the abuse and neglect of vulnerable children to an independent body. It is obvious why. Given the Department has already ignored and defended most of the violence and abuse complained of, how likely is it that they would allow findings to be made that they did so? How likely is it, that the Department will allow the publication of conclusions that the violence and abuse has been given the imprimatur at all levels-from regional directors to the Secretary?
If the violence, abuse and neglect of children with disabilities in Victorian schools is something you care about, please urgently write to Minister James Merlino and ask him to transfer the responsibility of this investigation to an independent body which will collaborate with integrity and honesty with those of us wishing to contribute to this extremely serious matter.
james.merlino@parliament.vic.gov.au
in the meantime, stay well away. Going by Mr Thompson’s last “independent” investigation, staff whistleblowers will be exposed and victimised, parents will be marked, and in the end, we will have a round of applause for these three schools, despite the trail of destruction they have left, and continue to leave, behind them. Minister Merlino will sagely remark as he did at the end of the Bendigo SDS investigation where he personally held minutes of a meeting attended by Principal Julie Hommelhoff that proves that the cages were used as behaviour management tools: “”My expectation is that all Victorian schools will continually improve”.
That is what the students with disabilities at Bendigo SDS who were locked in indoor and outdoor cages, subjected to assault, mechanical restraint, and pressure points, were worth. A finding that the school was safe but just needed a little “improvement”.
If there are any honest staff at these schools, any parents that still have a child at these schools, your positions are not safe if you contribute to this investigation while Mr Christopher Thompson and the Department of Education and Training are in charge.
The children who have been restrained and secluded hundreds of times (documented at Jackson School) secluded, tied to chairs and mechanically restrained in the prone position (Southern Autistic) locked in cupboards, pens, sensory gardens and store rooms (Marnebek School) and been denied an education through the withholding of communication and education (all schools), deserve better.
They deserve an investigation by an independent authority that Mr Thompson and the Department of Education cannot touch, cannot influence, and cannot manipulate. The investigation requires the involvement of a senior Speech Pathologist expert in Augmentative and Alternative Communication who is never dependent on funding from the Department, and the most highly credentialled behaviouralist, who is never dependent on funding from the Department. Then we can contribute with confidence and without fear.
Get involved. Email the Minister.